Juventus Interested In Manchester United Defender
Juventus are looking to replace Stephan Lichtsteiner with Manchester United’s Matteo Darmian, according to Tuttosport.
Stephan Lichtsteiner is currently in the final year of his contract with Juventus, and finds himself down the pecking order for the right-back spot, behind new signing Dani Alves. The Swiss international is therefore, looking to secure a move away from Turin in search of guaranteed first team action, and Juve’s Serie A rivals Inter seem to be his most likely destination.
However, with Dani Alves being 33 years old, he is in no way a long term candidate to occupy the right-back position for the reigning Italian Champions. And hence, Juventus are looking for a long-term candidate for the RB role, and have identified Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian as the perfect fit.
Matteo Darmian joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2015 for a fee of £13 million. He began his United career with a lot of promise, but then lost form due to recurring injuries and frequent positional changes.
Under the management of new boss Jose Mourinho, the Italian full-back has retained his substitute role from the latter half of the previous season, as Jose prefers Antonio Valencia as his first-choice right-back.
But the Italy international is adamant on proving himself to the Portuguese manager, as he stated last month, in an interview with United’s official website.
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Darmian said: “You just have to be ready for when the manager gives you a chance. I think he’s a great manager, he’s very hungry and his victories and successes speak volumes for him.”
He added: “I’m a right-back but I can also play left-back. If the manager needs me on the left, I’ll play on the left but, otherwise, I play on the right.”
But despite his eagerness to prove his worth to the Special One, he may have to choose to leave the English giants if he continues to remain on the bench.
In the recently concluded 2016 summer transfer window, the 26-year-old did get linked with transfers to various Italian clubs, especially Inter. None of the moves materialised, though, and the defender remains at the Theatre of Dreams.
However, if Juventus do come knocking in January – as the report suggests – handing Darmian a first-team spot in one of the biggest clubs in his own country, the offer may prove too good to turn down for the full-back.
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